History

A Brief History of Our Church

In the early days of Eliot, which was part of Kittery, we were known as the “Middle Parish” of Kittery. After the “Upper Parish” was set off as Berwick in 1713, we became known as the “Upper Parish’ of Kittery, a name that remained until 1810 when Eliot was incorporated as a separate town. The first Church in what is now Eliot began in 1700 and became known as “The Church in the Woods.” A simple wooden structure, it stood near the river 17 rods southwest of the intersection of Main Street and Greenwood Street.

Thefirst Church in Eliot was built in 1717 on what is now Old Road near the Old Parish Cemetery. This Church stood until it was demolished in 1837. The Rev. John Rogers was the first Congregational minister here. He started preaching in 1719 and remainied until his death on October 16, 1773. Both he and his wife, Susannah Whipple Rogers are buried in the Old Parish Cemetery.

The second church was built on State Thethird Church, our present Church, ……it was renovated in 1906 with the Road in 1833 diagonally across fromwas built across thestreet from the bell tower being built in front of the Church the present Parsonage; it burned tosecond church and was dedicated on Marchas it still exists to this day. An addition to the ground one Sunday Afternoon in9, 1881. Originally built with the bellthe back of the church was added in April 1880. All that remained wastower on the church itself, …..mid 1950’s.half of the church bell.